The volunteering trip to Africa that opened new vistas and changed lives

When a student of Social Work & Child Welfare at Providence University went on a chance trip to Africa, it was the first time she had heard of the Love Binti organization or set food in the African continent. She was shocked to discover that although sanitary towels are an indispensable necessity for every girl, in many impoverished areas of Africa, not every girl has the luxury of being able to purchase them, which in turn affects their schooling and working prospects. The organization Love Binti saw this need in Africa and came to teach local women how to make cotton sanitary towels.

Aside from teaching African girls how to make sanitary towels, Love Binti also teaches them about operational management and improving cost efficiency, thereby empowering them with the skills to earn a living for themselves and their families. The project hopes to gradually transform class and socioeconomic status in African society, and provide African girls with a better standard of living.

以下為中文對照

一位就讀靜宜社工系的同學，在一次偶然的機會下隨著舊鞋救命的志工團去到了非洲，第一次接觸愛女孩計畫，也是第一次踏上非洲的土地。她發現「衛生棉」對每個女孩而言，雖然都是不可或缺的必需品，但是在非洲的赤貧區，並不是每個女孩都有能力可以購買拋棄式衛生棉，進而影響了她們的就學與就業，愛女孩計畫看見了非洲這樣的需求，於是來到這裡教導當地的婦女學習製作布衛生棉。

愛女孩計畫不僅教導非洲女孩製作自己使用的衛生棉，更開始教導她們經營管理，成本控管的技巧，讓她們用這個技術成為一技之長，能夠為自己和家庭賺取收入，期待能漸漸轉換社會階層與社經地位，讓非洲女孩可以過更好的生活。

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